<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Tiger's Balm by TheDarkFlygon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24529672">Tiger's Balm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon'>TheDarkFlygon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prism (Pride-Themed Oneshots) [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Bullying, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, One-Sided Kurosaki Ruri/Serena, Protective Siblings, Sibling Love, background Kurosaki Ruri/Yuto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:34:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24529672</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There are several types of wounds, all of which have different methods to be taken care of.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurosaki Ruri &amp; Kurosaki Shun, Kurosaki Ruri &amp; Serena, Kurosaki Shun/Serena</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Prism (Pride-Themed Oneshots) [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769908</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tiger's Balm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I feel a little inadequate for Pride Month, considering all of my stuff so far has been F/M... and, knowing myself, that won't stop anytime soon. None of it is gonna be cishet, of course, I'm not *that* bad, but I'd understand if someone was accusing me of being very heteronormative and going against the point of Pride Month.<br/>In the meantime, however, I still am a mainly F/M shipper and, well... that also won't change anytime soon, I'm afraid, even if I'm trying and have been extending my horizons.</p><p>Anyway. Today's prompt was Healing, the meaning of the orange stripe of the flag! It was one I was excited for because, you know me, I'm a hurt/comfort addict to fill the friend-shaped hole in my heart. Most stuff is here is lowkey because I wasn't on that much of a writing mood today (rip me), but hey, I like flipping through my themes and ships.<br/>Writing asexual characters is something I still need to get the hang of and, like for my bisexual headcanons/characters, I don't pretend like I'm writing an accurate experience. Please don't take this as me saying this is an actual account. I'm merely a guy trying to have a diverse corpus of work.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a scene they’ve both seen before.</p><p>“I’ve told you already that I didn’t need your help to defend myself,” Serena tells her boyfriend again as she disinfects a wound. “It’s gonna sting.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know, what did you want me to do? Stay here and do nothing?” He replies before wincing.</p><p>“Told you that’d sting,” she snickers before reprising her serious tone. “Y’know, sometimes, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I can defend myself just fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Like every time they discuss it out, Shun looks aside, as if avoiding having to admit to something. He’s protective, she gets it, she tends to be so too herself; but he takes it a little too far. He always conveniently forgets she can easily kick his ass and wipe the floor with it if she feels up to it (she never is, unless he’s doing some reckless stunt).</p><p>Because he tends to get injured on his chest, she always gets to see the scars on his chest. He’s been picked up on in the past for his abrasive personality, antisocial tendencies, confused sexuality or just his lack of attraction, he told her, and that’s how he’d get into some of the fights that resulted in some stitches or lighter bruises that never really disappeared; but most of them, she knows it don’t come from that: they come from him defending his sister whose bullies were more numerous than his.</p><p> </p><p>Ah, Ruri. She looks like a delicate nymph with her hair flowing in the wind and slender body figure giving away a feeling of being confronted by a ball-jointed doll. She’s, however, far from fragile and defenceless: she’s had extensive training in self-defence and can easily make her way out of dangerous situations, even by just having these adrenaline rushes the Kurosaki siblings seem to share.</p><p>Even if he’s taught her how to defend herself and even if he’s seen her abilities, however, Shun has never forgotten the distressed faces and hot tears his sister eventually started showing, the nightmares she’d suffer through and those he’d get as a result; so he acts in consequence of that, getting possessed by a sort of fury whenever he senses (or thinks he senses) his little sister, the only family he has remaining.</p><p>Not that the Kurosakis’ parents were that good to begin with. Ruri idolizes them a little, despite how badly they treated her after she accidentally let it slip that she had interests in girls, always giving her a bit of the stink eye even if they’d otherwise treat her decently (Serena doesn’t quite believe it, but she also never dares speaking up). On the other hand, Shun will never forgive them for scaring their daughter from her own self, even in death. He’s never been the forgiving person and she’ll admit it that, but honestly, Serena isn’t much better herself in that front, and she’d most likely side with him if she was in his shoes.</p><p> </p><p>“You know,” she muses out loud as she wraps a bandage around his left arm, “I used to have a crush on your sister.”</p><p>“Ah?” He doesn’t sound too surprised. “So I’m your rebound, then?” He then snorts, before wincing at yet another drop of disinfectant in another, smaller wound.</p><p>“I’m surprised you never noticed.”</p><p>“Yuto’s told me again and again how dense I was.”</p><p>“He isn’t wrong. Ruri and he had to shove your own feelings in your face before you could understand them.”</p><p>“I <em>know</em>,” he snaps at her, albeit the chuckle he can’t quite hide shows underneath the attempt at aggressivity of his reply.</p><p> </p><p>She closes the first-aid kit.</p><p>“I did get over it, after a while. She was already dating Yuto, back then, so it helped me move past this crush and focus on other things. You <em>weren’t</em> my rebound or anything of that sort, that’s what I’m trying to say.”</p><p>“Not even a little?”</p><p>“Befriending you helped me heal quicker, I suppose. You kept my mind off her, even if she was your sister and you’d have died if it meant protecting her. I’m thankful for that alone. Well, that, and the number of times you defended me. I may not always agree or like it, but hey, I get your intention. I’d probably be the same with you if people like to pick on you.”</p><p>Shun doesn’t reply verbally, instead nodding along as he puts back on his shirt.</p><p>“Still, even I’m wondering how you’ve sustained so much, yet keep getting into fights nonetheless.”</p><p>“Both Ruri and you’ve got it worse than I do, honestly,” he tells her with a solemn tone, in his no-nonsense voice. “I’m just doing my thing to help, I guess.” He doesn’t sound convinced by the way he phrases it. “God, that sound like some white-knighting bullshit.”</p><p>“It’s not a competition, you know. We’ve all hurt before and all have healed, in huge parts thanks to each other’s support. You’re a supportive older brother and boyfriend, that’s all there is to it. I don’t remember you making it about yourself.”</p><p>“Why would I do that? It ain’t about me.”</p><p>“<em>Exactly</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them exit the bathroom, feeling like their little conversation, even if it could be happening in the living room, or a bedroom, or anywhere else really, must happen here and now, in this little bathroom. Talk about weird circumstances in which to have such conversations.</p><p>“Look. I’m not saying I understand what you both feel really well,” Shun comments as he observes the fresh bandages covering his arms, “and, honestly, I’ve gotten over the fact I’ll never understand everything. There’s always gonna be something I can’t get that’d seem obvious to Ruri or you. And that’s fine. I just don’t wanna stand there and do nothing while you’re getting attack for stupid reasons.”</p><p>She washes her hands, then leans against the sink.</p><p>“Oh, I’m pretty you can relate a little in that regard. You’ve been beaten up enough times defending Ruri to at least see where we’re coming from.”</p><p>“If you say so. I really can’t comment on that, can I?”</p><p>“Well, the message’s clear: ignorance’s bad, respect is good. It’s not that hard, but people still won’t get it, sometimes. It was easier to feel secure dating you when I learnt how much you treasured your sister and everything she was, if I’m honest. I felt like I was less at risk of being hurt.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A smile comes to Serena’s lips.</p><p>“What I mean is that it hasn’t always been smooth sailing,” she speaks up again. “But, you know what? I don’t regret anything.” She glances at the scars that never truly faded away from her skin and mind. “We may’ve had terrible times, arguments, and misunderstandings; but we’re all still here, even when we’d get rejected.”</p><p>“It’s not like you to sound so… corny.”</p><p>“Shut up, I’m trying to be poetic,” she retorts with a pout, before chuckling at her own words, “but you’re right. That sounds corny. Real life’s uglier than that, but you make it a little prettier, and so does your sister, and so does her boyfriend.”</p><p>“-and so do you,” he adds, getting up from his stool.</p><p> </p><p>She grabs his hand, holds it into hers.</p><p>“So, what about we continue fighting and healing together, then? Just promise you’ll let me defend myself more often. I hate to see patch your wounds.”</p><p>“Then, I’ll have to patch yours. Equivalent exchange.”</p><p>“Obviously. You know a lot about that anyway, do you?”</p><p>“You tell me.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, Ruri is calling for them downstairs to eat the cake she’s just finished decorating with Yuto. They’d better join them before she can get worried for her brother.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>